No, I am not evenhanded in choosing what I should report
Some people might accuse me of being biased in research of the particular conflicts. They might tell me that I should employ and maintain balance in what I choose to report, and I should be evenhanded in selecting the stories to report.
Do I have anything to say in my defense? Perhaps not. But do I need any defense? Am I breaching the ethics of journalism?
Well, if this is the ethics of journalism, yes I am breaching it, then I admit "I am guilty". But I believe this doesn't have anything to do with ethics. and If I am acting according to this misconception, then I am nothing but a fool.
I am not reporting for the sake of journalism and to satisfy my readers, as I am not a journalist. I am reporting for the sake of my belief that human life is under attack from both side, from the side that does everything in order to gain more and for unlimited greed, as well as from the side that does everything to satisfy its religious beliefs and imposes it to others. Which one can I have more respect for, perhaps neither one. But as a result of all this, who really suffers? Obviously real people, and they are the ones who are forced into this conflict in order to protect their own basic rights that include, their family, their land, their country and their resources.
In a world, where propaganda machines are constantly in high gear to reflect the stories as the powerful people wish them reflected, in a world where, for example, Palestinians who commit suicide bombing are called Islamic terrorist, but those Jews who attempt to blow up Palestinian children in their school are just called "bombers" and not "Jewish terrorists", In a world where all you hear is about the tragedy and crime of 9/11, but no word of countless other tragedies and crimes, In a world where those who are fighting the occupiers of their land are called "left overs of Saddam regime" while the foreign-appointed people are called "Iraq's Governing Council", in a world with such a twisted manipulations, In a world where even good people sound doubted as who is really helping Iraq to get back on its feet, and in a world with many other unjust occurrences, am I supposed to reduce this already insignificant tool; this little blog of mine, to a piece of garbage that sees everything upside down and thinks evenhandedness in choosing the events to report is ethical? No, I won't and it isn't ethical. To the contrary, this is completely unethical. This would only be ethical if there was the same evenhandedness in general media in the world and particularly North America where most of my limited visitors are from. As a whole, North American media is saturated by the lies and justification of the crimes of the powerful. And this constant breach of the ethics is always left unchallenged.
I don't write to please any body as I don't write to upset any body. I write what I believe is fair but not necessarily balanced. I have been told many times that I can upset friends so much by my straight to the point comments that they can start disliking me. That might be true though, I lack the capability to be a diplomat and play with words when I write as I believe that sometimes playing with words is just waste of peoples' time. Meanwhile, pleasing or upsetting others is the last thing in my mind. When I write, I picture those children without fathers and/or mothers, those parents without their children, those people under daily humiliation by having their land occupied, those.... . This is what gives me the strength to write even if it is insignificant writing as it is, even if friends do not help me much in doing this.
There is however one thing I will always maintain: Whether I like it or not, I will never lie in what I report.
Do I have anything to say in my defense? Perhaps not. But do I need any defense? Am I breaching the ethics of journalism?
Well, if this is the ethics of journalism, yes I am breaching it, then I admit "I am guilty". But I believe this doesn't have anything to do with ethics. and If I am acting according to this misconception, then I am nothing but a fool.
I am not reporting for the sake of journalism and to satisfy my readers, as I am not a journalist. I am reporting for the sake of my belief that human life is under attack from both side, from the side that does everything in order to gain more and for unlimited greed, as well as from the side that does everything to satisfy its religious beliefs and imposes it to others. Which one can I have more respect for, perhaps neither one. But as a result of all this, who really suffers? Obviously real people, and they are the ones who are forced into this conflict in order to protect their own basic rights that include, their family, their land, their country and their resources.
In a world, where propaganda machines are constantly in high gear to reflect the stories as the powerful people wish them reflected, in a world where, for example, Palestinians who commit suicide bombing are called Islamic terrorist, but those Jews who attempt to blow up Palestinian children in their school are just called "bombers" and not "Jewish terrorists", In a world where all you hear is about the tragedy and crime of 9/11, but no word of countless other tragedies and crimes, In a world where those who are fighting the occupiers of their land are called "left overs of Saddam regime" while the foreign-appointed people are called "Iraq's Governing Council", in a world with such a twisted manipulations, In a world where even good people sound doubted as who is really helping Iraq to get back on its feet, and in a world with many other unjust occurrences, am I supposed to reduce this already insignificant tool; this little blog of mine, to a piece of garbage that sees everything upside down and thinks evenhandedness in choosing the events to report is ethical? No, I won't and it isn't ethical. To the contrary, this is completely unethical. This would only be ethical if there was the same evenhandedness in general media in the world and particularly North America where most of my limited visitors are from. As a whole, North American media is saturated by the lies and justification of the crimes of the powerful. And this constant breach of the ethics is always left unchallenged.
I don't write to please any body as I don't write to upset any body. I write what I believe is fair but not necessarily balanced. I have been told many times that I can upset friends so much by my straight to the point comments that they can start disliking me. That might be true though, I lack the capability to be a diplomat and play with words when I write as I believe that sometimes playing with words is just waste of peoples' time. Meanwhile, pleasing or upsetting others is the last thing in my mind. When I write, I picture those children without fathers and/or mothers, those parents without their children, those people under daily humiliation by having their land occupied, those.... . This is what gives me the strength to write even if it is insignificant writing as it is, even if friends do not help me much in doing this.
There is however one thing I will always maintain: Whether I like it or not, I will never lie in what I report.
posted by Faramin | 12:38 p.m.
<< Home